


whispers on my skin

by GreenMuffinRanger (FuzzyPurplePenguins)



Category: Power Rangers Dino Charge
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen, Pre-Canon, Sense8 AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-10
Updated: 2015-07-10
Packaged: 2018-04-08 16:44:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4312644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FuzzyPurplePenguins/pseuds/GreenMuffinRanger
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I'm not actually here," Shelby says, steps closer and taps Riley's temple before he can react and step back. "I'm up there. We all are."</p>
            </blockquote>





	whispers on my skin

**Author's Note:**

> August 29th can not come fast enough.
> 
> At least SDCC jump-started my creative muse again, bringing this to you.
> 
> This started out as a Sense8 AU, and then sort of fused with my own brain going crazy. Fair warning though, there will probably be a lot of unanswered questions, but this turned into a prequel instead of the actual story. Whoops.
> 
> There's also only the barest hint of Chiley and Shyler which is like. Wow. That never happens with me, damn.
> 
> Enjoy!

It starts when he's sixteen.   
  
Flashes of thoughts and emotions that aren't his, feelings on his skin that shouldn't belong (rain when the sun is out in full force, wind whipping across his face when it's a still day).  
  
It's confusing, especially the dreams that make his cheeks stain red ("My innocent little bro," Matt always teases), and sometimes the experiences where he doesn't feel like he's in his own body anymore.  
  
The worst parts are when he doesn't feel like himself at all, when the emotions drain out everything else and he's not on the ranch anymore but somewhere miles away, which should be impossible -  
  
He doesn't tell Matt. He doesn't tell his mom.  
  
He's half convinced he's going crazy.  
  
 _ **xxxxxxxxx**_  
  
Riley meets Shelby first.  
  
He's practicing his sword play, thrusting a neat parry and turning on his heel when suddenly she's there, wide-eyed but gleeful.  
  
"It worked!" She grins and Riley thrusts his sword into the wood of the barn wall. "Hi, I'm Shelby!"  
  
"You weren't there a second ago," He says, a little dumbly, and her face goes a little all-knowing.  
  
"I'm not actually here," She says, steps closer and taps his temple before he can react and step back. "I'm up there. We all are."  
  
"So I'm going crazy?"  
  
"We're all a little crazy," Shelby winks at him. "Welcome to the cluster, -?"  
  
Riley opens his mouth but then she's gone and and he's on the floor of the barn, a massive migraine pounding at his temples and Rubik licking his face, whining quietly.  
  
He still doesn't know what's going on.  
  
 _ **xxxxxxxxx**_  
  
The headaches get more and more frequent, more and more painful, until he literally can't get out of bed one morning.  
  
His temples throb and Riley throws up in the trash can next to his bed.   
  
A feeling like cool hands resting on his temples and a voice murmurs, "You need to stop blocking us out, mate."  
  
That's how he meets Chase. The first time. But it doesn't really count, because Chase is gone before Riley can move to get a glimpse of him, a hazy did-that-even-happen pressed against the migraine invading his brain.  
  
 _ **xxxxxxxxx**_  
  
It's a few more migraine-heavy days before he thinks about that voice that he isn't so sure was real.  
  
Riley thinks about it for a while, before deciding trying to...not block whatever's going on in his head.  
  
If that's what's happening. He doesn't know. Whatever. It doesn't hurt to try.  
  
(Well, the headaches hurt, but that's besides the point).  
  
He takes Rubik out into the forest by the ranch, settles down in a clearing, legs folded, and breathes in.  
  
It's easy to fall into the meditative state he knows all too well thanks to his cousin.  
  
Breathe in, hold, breathe out. Breathe in, hold, breathe out.  
  
It's not an instantaneous thing, but his headache slowly starts to recede and eventually he becomes aware of a presence besides his own.  
  
He cracks an eye open and blinks at the figure seated beside him, a gentle but curious look on his face.  
  
"I...Koda," He says, and Riley blinks at surprise. "We trying reach you."  
  
"Sorry," The brunette bites his lip. "I'm Riley. It took me a while to figure things out."  
  
"You here now," Koda smiles widely, and Riley can't help but grin back. "Cluster. Family. Teammate."

"Teammate?" Riley blinks, confused.

"You know eventually," Koda says, and then he's gone.

That, Riley thinks, is the most irritating part of all of this.

 _ **xxxxxxxxx**_  
  
"They didn't tell me you were so cute."

Riley yelps, spinning around to come face-to-face with a smirking brunette male less than an inch away.

"What the hell?" The shorter male sputters.

"I'm part of the cluster," His guest says. "We haven't officially met. I'm Chase."

Riley backs up against the sink. "You - that day -"

"Yeah, that was me, although I didn't actually visit." Chase's eyes darken and scan up and down Riley's body. "I should have though, damn."

The sixteen-year old flushes and imagines a heavy door shutting in his mind, feeling a little victorious when Chase blinks out of view.

_**xxxxxxxxx** _

"Chase said you kicked him out," Shelby announces, suddenly sitting on his kitchen counter.

Riley stiffens but continues chopping carrots. It's his turn to cook dinner and mom and Matt are out in the pig pen, so he's alone and free to speak freely.

"He was being rude," The brunette grumbles, and Shelby laughs.

"He hit on you, didn't he?"

Riley goes bright red and hunches his shoulders together defensively.

"That's just how Chase is," Shelby tells him. "He even hit on Tyler the first time they met, despite knowing Tyler's heterosexual."

"Tyler?" Riley questions.

"The fifth member of our cluster," Shelby says. "He can be hard to reach, he's going through a lot right now."

"Is he the one that feels red?" Riley asks a little curiously. It's like a taunt crimson thread in his mind, almost poised to snap in two if he tries to touch it.

"He lost his brother," Shelby says, and the look in her eyes says her mind is somewhere else entirely. "Give him time."

Riley swallows but nods, and silence falls between them, the sound of his knife hitting the cutting board echoing between them until he looks over again eventually, and she's gone, like she was never there to begin with.

_**xxxxxxxx** _

Riley gets used to it.

Shelby's frequent visitations, Chase's less-then-innocemt thoughts whenever Riley decides to fence, Koda's detached thoughts jumbled up in his head.

There's still something they're hiding from him, he knows. Something besides Tyler, who he's learned is taking a road trip down to their area, just to get away.

(The softness is Shelby's eyes every time Tyler's brought up has Riley wondering if there's something else there.)

Then one day he's sitting in the sunshine, Rubik curled up next to him, and then something painful tugs in his chest.

He gasps as the part of his mind that's connected to Tyler lights up bright red, he swallows, and then -

He smells gasoline, and he's hanging upside down, a painful pressure against his chest.

"You must be Riley."

Riley jerks his head around to meet dark chocolate eyes and tousled hair, labored breathing and a bleeding red forehead cut.

"Tyler," He assumes. "Car accident?"

"Sorry for pulling you with me," Tyler smiles but Riley can see, can feel how it hurts him.

The brunette groans, leans forward and twists.

"Brace yourself," He says, then there's a tell-tale click and he's falling, falling-

His eyes shoot open, blinded by the sun and Rubik whines, licks his face.

He gets a burst of gratitude from Tyler, and a hint of something else - _find it Riley._

Then his mind is silent again, and he's so confused.

Find...what?

_**xxxxxxxxx** _

It's only a few weeks later when everything falls together.

Rubik's disappeared off into the forest, and when Riley chases after him he comes face to face with an honest to god monster.

"Pathetic human, I will enjoy watching you burn," The monster sneers and then they're dueling, a cold piece of steel Riley's weapon.

The monster sends them flying back and Riley's beam lands in a rock -

His mind lights up in bright flashes of green, overpowering the connections he has with the cluster, and Riley feels unbelievably amazing.

His beam transforms into a sword and Riley pulls it free, grasping the green gem in the rock.

"An energem!" The monster growls, and Riley just knows he can't let him have it.

A well-timed falling tree branch ensures Riley's escape, Rubik at his heels.

_**xxxxxxxxx** _

Later, Riley lays in bed, turning the energem over in his fingers and enjoying the warmth of the links in his mind.

He finally understands. And tomorrow?

Tomorrow he'll go join his cluster.

They're waiting for him.

**_~fin_ **

 

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you thought, I crave your feedback. <3


End file.
